1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a user interface for a digital video apparatus, and in particular, a user interface for a digital video apparatus capable of processing a plurality of data blocks according to a user selected playmode.
2. Description of the Related Art
Video signal processing systems that utilize storage media having digitally compressed video and audio information recorded thereon can give the user a vast number of options for controlling playback of a video title stored on such a media. One such system that is gaining rapid acceptance comprises a video disc player adapted to process information stored in accordance with the digital video disc (DVD) specification. The information on a DVD formatted disc is recorded as discrete packets of data, in accordance with the applicable video and audio data compression standards, wherein designated packets carry data associated with various data streams, such as alternative video angles, audio tracks, subpicture streams, etc. A disc player reading a DVD formated disc may be controlled to display certain packets of data and skip over others in this manner, the DVD system can be used to prevent unauthorized access to information on a particular disc as well as seamlessly provide multiple variations of a video title, such as multiple camera angles and story endings, in accordance with user commands.
EP0847197A discloses a device for seamlessly reproducing a bitstream containing noncontinuous system time information. In particular, EP0847197A discloses an authoring system that encodes a multimedia bitstream that can be reproduced according to one scenario selected from a plurality of scenarios. The scenarios can be changed during playback, i.e., in response to user selection of a new scenario a new multimedia scenario is dynamically generated according to the most recently selected scenario. It is also possible to dynamically select and reproduce any one of the plurality of scenarios while reproducing the title content according to a desired scenario.
One useful aspect of the DVD system is that it allows the user to playback the disc contents using one of a plurality of playmodes. DVD formatted discs are generally authored to include one or more video titles, wherein each video title corresponds to a designated program unit, such as a movie or a television episode. Each video title may in turn be divided into one or more part-of-title units, also called chapters, wherein each chapter corresponds to a predetermined portion of the video title. Under this format, a disc player may be configured to playback the chapters of a particular video title in one of a plurality of playmodes. The available playmodes usually include: 1) standard, wherein the disc player plays the disc in the default sequence, usually from beginning to end; 2) random, wherein the chapters are played back in random order; and 3) program, wherein the chapters are played back in a sequence programmed by the user.
To change a disc player's playmode setting, a user ordinarily must stop disc playback, call up the appropriate player set-up menu, make the necessary selections and restart the disc playback. Even if the user is not directly required to start and stop disc playback, the disc player automatically halts playback of the disc and restarts the disc when the user selects the playmode. If the user wishes to change the playmodes frequently, the requirement to stop disc playback and navigate the disc player set-up menu can quickly become annoying. Therefore, it is desirable to allow the user to dynamically change the disc player's playmode setting during disc playback, that is, change the playmode as the video title continues to play in a portion of the display.